Monday, August 31, 2009

Tough Decisions

There are few things I like better than a visit to the Red Hook playing fields for some tasty Soccer Tacos. Whenever I find myself ridding past that one block radius packed with bustling food vendors, I find it nearly impossible not to stop for an impromptu brunch of Salvadoran Papusas (fried masa pancakes stuffed with cheese, beans, and or meat), Mexican Sopes, or Guatemalan style tamales. Today Ben and I did just that, and as we washed down our Carne de Rez and Frijoles Papusas with some fresh watermelon juice, I thought about how much I love love love Latin American food. The revelation of how much I love pickled jalapenos, avocados, anchos chilies, and masa - in all its forms - suddenly left me with a terrifying thought, what if I had to make a choice?"If you could only eat two types of cuisine for the rest of your life, what would they be?" I asked Ben, who immediately fell silent with mournful contemplation.It certainly wasn't an easy question to answer. I myself was still mulling it over. Mexican food would have to be one of the two, but that left a tough decision; I would have to choose between Thai, French, Vietnamese, or Italian food. For the sake of culinary summitry, French or Italian Cuisine would be a wise choice; but that would mean I could never have Thai or Vietnamese ever again! Was I ready to make that decision? Then again, wouldn't I tire of eating Mexican and Vietnamese, FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE! I thought of maybe changing the rules to this little, and perhaps masochistic game and allowing for three types of cuisine instead of two, but that just felt like cheating.I took my last bite of Papusa, heavily drenched in spicy red salsa, and looked over at Ben to access his progress with the question. "Well?" I asked impatiently awaiting his answer. He took a deep breath as though ready to relinquish his forever rights to two of his favorites foods and said, "I don't think I like this game very much." Fare enough babe, neither do I. Game over.